1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and method and, more particularly, to an information processing apparatus for and method of processing information with a description format used in a multimedia network.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, as a method of using FM radio broadcast, a so-called “visible radio receiver (a radio receiver that can display received character information) which receives character information together with an FM audio signal using a broadcast wave is commercially available. A device of this type has high portability and a very simple circuit, and can receive various kinds of information as long as it can receive an FM wave.
Recently, the information transmitted using FM audio broadcast include news, weather forecasts, and the like. Although such information can be received via a so-called multimedia network, they can be more easily obtained by the “visible radio receiver”. The “visible radio receiver” has higher portability than normal multimedia terminals.
However, such receiver can only receive simple character information such as weather forecast information and the like as currently available services, but can neither receive nor store information in a description format used in a multimedia network, which format can be easily handled by a personal computer (PC), in addition to the character information.
Normal data or data that can be processed by a PC may be transmitted in place of the character information. However, when such data is merely broadcasted in place of the character information, its reliability cannot be maintained, and this results in unwanted confusion upon processing of such data.
Such data may be transmitted in a system quite different from the current broadcast. However, the existing system itself must then be reexamined, and this is impractical. Also, the broadcasting station requires considerably large-scale equipment.
Furthermore, when the above-mentioned portable receiver receives such data in addition to the character information, not only the data cannot be effectively used, but also power savings and compactness required for a portable equipment for processing such two different kinds of information may be disturbed.
When digital data is transmitted using a broadcast wave, the transmission efficiency largely depends on the weather conditions and the like, and the data may often suffer so many error data. In such case, a certain user may not need to acquire such data (he or she places an importance on data accuracy), but another user may want to acquire the data even if the data contain many error data (he or she places an importance on data acquisition).